Orbach believes that being fat, or as what I would like to call it, healthy, is a beneficial way for women to relate to their bodies or food. I believe this because I think that to conform to what the media tells us to look like, would be to promote an unhealthy lifestyle. To constantly have to worry about your weight, going to the gym, and forgetting about the things that really matter in life is not a way that anyone should have to live, based on a corrupt perception of beauty made by society. "'My fat says 'screw you' to all who want me to be the perfect mom, sweetheart, [and] maid. Take me for who I am, not who I'm supposed to be. If you're really interested in me, you can wade through the layers and find out who I am." Orbach uses this quote to describe the women who choose to be comfortable in their own skin, rather than obsess over it, and I stand wholeheartedly behind it. In contrast, Orbach believes that conforming to the media's standards in regards to your weight, is a harmful way for women to relate to their bodies or food. I agree with this as well; it is better to be comfortable as who you are, and what you look like than to not. Orbach says, "The emphasis on presentation as the central aspect of a woman's existence makes her extremely self-conscious." She speaks nothing but the truth.
Freeman and Merskin believe that eating at your own pace, in whatever capacity, as longs as it's healthy is a beneficial way for males to relate to their bodies and food. I completely agree with this assessment. In the same way that women are scrutinized about what to eat, what to look like, and more, so are men. They are constantly reminded to be meat-eating, so they can pick up women. "...recent commercials illustrate the American fast food industry's propensity for for equating meat with heterosexual masculinity." In contrast, Freeman and Merskin believe that eating heaps on meat, in fact, isn't the healthy for men to relate to their bodies and food. They believe that media makes plants to look less healthy, when in fact they are just as nutritional, but deemed "womanly." I support this because woman are always, always seen to be eating salads while men eat huge steaks, when both can be good for and neither should be restricted to one sex. "...it [Ads] perpetuates stereotypes of men in one dimensional terms as self-indulgent, womanizing carnivores,".
Jade, I do agree that it is important for women to be happy with themselves and that it is an important part of our lives to feel confident. On the other hand, I would never go so far as to say the fat is healthy. There is a lot of pressure on women today to be in shape and to go to the gym, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. Even the Orbach stated that 50% of women in the United States are overweight. At this point, there should be a lot of pressure. Being overweight is unhealthy, and all these diet columns are only trying to encourage women to take charge of their health so they can live fuller, healthier, longer lives. Also, the article left out how much pressure there is on men to be in shape. In fact, men are pressured by media to be “buff” and “ripped” not just healthy. I feel that the images of women in media create a positive influence, that I wish worked better.
ReplyDeleteFreeman and Merskin argued that ads by fast food restaurants create the idea that in order for men to be manly, they have to eat meat and that plant based foods are “womanly”. I do agree that most of these ads do target men and convey the idea that meat equals masculinity. Being both female and vegetarian, I often do relate meat and men together, so none of this information shocked me and I definitely didn’t feel like it was sexist. But these are just my opinions.
There are some points that I both agree with and disagree with from Jade’s post. First off, I would definitely say that a woman’s self-imagine is very important to her; it has a direct effect on her life and determines how she carries herself. I wouldn’t necessarily say that being “fat” is healthy” because if women begin to think that it is okay to be overweight, they will start to let go of their bodies which can lead to many negative health effects. I think a better way to go about the situation would be to encourage women to live healthier lifestyles, not put them down for being overweight or obese. The media does have a big impact on how women and men see themselves, which is not necessarily a good or bad thing. Some of the famous people that have nice and fit bodies really do work hard and eat healthy to maintain their bodies; those are the people that we should look to for inspiration. Other people take it to the extreme by harming their bodies, starving themselves, etc. to have the perfect body. It’s not that they are bad people it’s just that they are so pressured to look good because the media judges them so much. It is up to us who we choose to look to for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the ads focus on men being the main consumers of meat and if they consume any plant based foods they are considered “womanly” or vice versa is a little sexist. I don’t think that the foods a person consumes should define whether they are “manly” or not.
I’m going to have to agree with Kelly on this. It is a very good thing to be happy and comfortable in your own skin but being fat is not healthy. Same goes the other way and it is not healthy to be really skinny, you need essential fats. I think television today tries to promote eating healthy and to live a better lifestyle. I don’t think that it is trying to brainwash men and women into shaping themselves to have the perfect body. They show us these “perfect” bodies to try to persuade us to get our lazy selves out of our couches and get us to be active and better ourselves. I do agree with Jade that they do stereotype men and women by only showing men eating steaks and by women only eating salads, but that is what society sees anyways. I would have to say that women are pushed by the media a little more than men to eat right and to have a nice slender body. Media has a huge effect on what our society wants and “needs” now in days. That is why everyone thinks that it is trying to control us and how we perceive our bodies and how they should be. Realistically our bodies can’t look like that anyways. It is a good thing to like yourself for who you are, and to be comfortable in your own body, but you also need to have a healthy lifestyle to feel better about yourself and hopefully live longer.
ReplyDeleteI both agree and disagree with some of Jade's points. I don't believe that fat is considered "healthy", but I do think that women should be comfortable in their own skin. A lot of women take the time to work out and eat right and I see nothing wrong with that, however broadcasting how "healthy" you are to others who might not live the same lifestyle as you can be a little degrading. Many young women look up to celebrities who always seem to have perfect bodies and there is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve that, but to go as far as starving yourself to fit an ideal image is a different story. Without a doubt pressure is put on women to look a certain way. The yearn to be thin, tanned, have flawless skin and perfect bone structure is what consumes most women's minds when seeing ads that promote clothes, cosmetics, and skin care products. Women want to look "beautiful" and to look like the women in magazines to feel accepted, fit in, and to have more self confidence in my opinion. While the majority of images of women are being digitally altered, our perceptions of normal, healthy, and beautiful are altered as well. However, some ads promote fitness in a positive light as a way to help women live longer, happier, and healthier lives which is the right thing in my opinion. I think that women should live a healthy lifestyle because it reflects your attitude and how you carry yourself. As for Freeman and Merkskin, they argued that for men to be manly they must eat meat, which is in fact a stereotype but I somewhat agree. I associate men with masculinity because its a "gender norm" in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Macee, women should not feel uncomfortable in their own skin but it is not okay to think that being “fat” is healthy. Yes, I believe women should not starve themselves in order to be skinny as stick but it is not acceptable to over eat all the time causing excess fat and thinking that it is okay. Most females in our society choose famous women as their role models but what most of us do not understand is that those celebrities have people to do their hair and makeup every day or even a personal nutritionist and trainer to keep them in the shape they are in. unlike for us average American women, we cannot afford all that, we have real life expenses and we cannot afford to spend money on such things as the celebrities do. For women to feel more secure and “beautiful” in their own skin they should eat healthier and make exercising a daily activity in their lives. As for men, Freeman and Merkskin stereotyped them (as it usually happens) and argued that for a man to be considered manly they must eat meat and like big vehicles and eat less plant based foods. And as Macee agreed, I also do myself. I grew up with relating most men with masculinity because I believe society is like that for a reason. And one of the reasons may be to simply categorize and separate male from female. It is not okay to stereotype EVERYTHING about each gender but some of the differences are there for a reason.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job Jade, honestly that was one of the best blog entries I read about this subject. I completely agree with everything you said, and adding quotes helped you top it off perfectly. I think you are completely right when you said, "Constantly have to worry about your weight, going to the gym, and forgetting about the things that really matter in life is not a way that anyone should have to live, based on a corrupt perception of beauty made by society." To me, appearance does not really matter, yeah its good to be fit and go to the gym but I also truly believe that there are way bigger things than that, such as values, morals, and family. When a person does not focus on those 3 things because they’re too busy thinking how they look, if they look acceptable to society and so on, I think a big part of them has been lost. Appearance can only take you so far. Our society has made us think that looks are all that matter. We are constantly forgetting what is more important than looking good. However, I do think that doing some type of exercise is also very good for one’s health. To close this up, I agree with you on your view that women are always looking to eat a salad or soup which I don’t mind because when it’s time to pay it makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteKelly has made some solid points that I agree with. Being overweight may be a choice that some people make as a way of expressing themselves, but never is being fat considered healthy. If anything I usually associate obese people as being lazy instead of seeing them as self-confident. "My fat says 'screw you' to all…" The quote that Orbach uses shows the ignorance of some people and how they feel rebellious because they are overweight instead of feeling embarrassed. Yes there are pressures on women to be in shape, but really the focus is to be healthy, not skinny. Another area where I agree with Kelly is that guys also feel pressures for having to be 'cut' and 'swoll' for girls to find them appealing. There is a major competition that wages on between males to be stronger than one another and honestly it’s exhausting. I’m rambling a bit, but what I'm trying to say is that fat is NOT a feminist issue and is in fact a growing issue among both men and women.
ReplyDeleteThe second article was a real eye-opener to the way foods are advertised in society. I have witnessed most of the ads myself, but never stopped to analyze what was going on in the commercials. They focus majorly on appealing to men and their masculinity while throwing in some sex appeal to keep us interested. I would have to say that the ads are rather successful at highlighting what men should eat if he's a "man" versus focusing on what he should actually consume. What's created from advertisements and stereotypes about what men should eat, are lines of demarcation that separate men and women even further and leave females to be more characterized by eating fruits and vegetables.
Although Orbach does state that women should not allow themselves to be objectified by society’s changing standards of beauty, she does not encourage women to adhere to any particular size requirement. Orbach states, “Women are caught in an attempt to conform to a standard that is externally defined and constantly changing” (452). In other words, Orbach urges women not to pick one side of the spectrum of sexism and feminism, but to adhere to an individual standard that is far removed from society and grounded in an individual’s personal definition of healthy. Moreover, Freeman and Merskin assert not that men are encouraged to eat unhealthy portions of meat to attract women, but that men are urged to consume meat in large portions to preserve and defend a required masculinity to minimize and itemize women. Freeman alleges, “Many ads show a preference for disempowered women by either symbolically annihilating them or concentrating on sexualized female body parts. . . By disempowering women in these commercials, men gain more freedom and control to have it their way” (469). Ultimately, large meat-selling conglomerates, such as Jack in the Box and Carl’s Jr., advocate for the consumption of their product by promising dominance and control over women, who are portrayed to hinder the power of the targeted male. In this process, women are vilified and stripped both of sociopolitical power and of any aptitude to interfere in the lives of their male counterparts.
ReplyDeleteI agree, yet disagree with what Jade is saying. I agree one hundred percent that every woman, as a matter of fact; every human being should feel comfortable in their own skin and love every part of their body if they accept it, yet they should always feel the need . Yet, I one hundred percent disagree with Jade’s comment on how being “fat” is considered being “healthy” in her eyes. Although, I do not believe that it is acceptable for woman to starve themselves so that they will be skinny to society. Starving yourself isn’t a “healthy” way to get “skinny” or as I like to call it, “healthy”. That is why there is a gym available for human beings, to get into shape! I do not think that it is a negative thing for our society to encourage woman to want to be “healthy” or/and “in shape”. As the Orbach even stated; “50% of women in the United States are unhealthy.” From this quote, we can gather that HALF of women in the United States are over weight and unhealthy. This is not a percentage to be proud of. I do not see anything wrong with society trying to encourage women to want to be healthy and in shape, but it is a social norm for woman to want and feel beautiful which is why the media is filled with skinny models, to make you think and feel that you need to look that certain way. Overall, I do agree that woman should feel comfortable in their own skin, yet they should always feel the need to want to better themselves, without hurting their health or self confidence.
ReplyDeleteI both agree and disagree with the points made in this particular blog post. While I do agree that women should not have to conform to these ideals set for us by society, I think when Orbach uses the term “fat” it has more meaning than what you first expect when reading. I don’t think she is trying to say being fat means you’re obese or overweight, but that you are not up to the standards that have been set for you in society, media, and the people around you. She uses the example of how women in the 60’s would starve themselves to be skinny, bind their breast to make them look smaller, and ion their hair for a look that was popular at that time. Then things changed in the 70’s when curly hair and full breast was the “new thing”. These ideals that are set for us (that are sometimes unreachable) make us change our bodies just to turn around and change them into something completely different. I believe Orbach makes an excellent point by saying that a woman “…must observe and evaluate herself, scrutinizing every detail of herself as though she were an outside judge. She attempts to make herself in the images of womanhood presented by billboards, newspapers, magazines, and television.” (450).
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your points on Freeman and Merskin’s “Having it his way: The construction of masculinity in fast-food TV advertising”. Eating healthy is beneficial for not only men to relate their bodies and food, but also for woman. Although there are these set stereotypes that men eat meat and woman eat salads, the identity of our gender doesn’t change the ways certain foods are beneficial to our bodies. We all need protein and we all need vegetables. Advertisers make meat a manly food by making it seem manly and more directed to an audience of men. Freeman and Merskin make a good point of this by saying, “One way modern advertisers accomplish this it to equate masculinity with violence, power, and control (and femininity with passivity)”.
i, as well, agree and disagree with this. Being fat and overeating should not be seen as unimportant or seen positive because one is not conforming to what the media says we should look like. Overeating and becoming larger is a problem in our nation. Women especially because it messes with out mind we obtain a lower self esteem we lower our confidence we over think and we analyze way too hard when uncomfortable with our bodies, which then can lead to eating disorders such as how Orbach helped princess Diana with her bulimia problem. I do agree that the medias perception of an ideal body is corrupt people need meat on their bones but theres an extent to this. I do also agree that looks are just looks there is so much more to a person than their exterior appearance but lets be honest, people do notice other people's looks. You care about how you look how you present yourself to others whether its for a job, an event, the opposite sex, you notice it about yourself and about others and weight is a big part in that. If you are comfortable with yourself then that is all that matters but most women are not when they are considered to be fat. I agree with you and Orbach when it is saidthat conforming to the media's standards in regards to your weight, is a harmful way for women to relate to their bodies or food.
ReplyDeleteFreeman and Merskin talk about the eating habits for maleson how stereotypical it is that men need to eat lots of meat, but an abundance in one food category and not enough in another, like how you talk about women eating salads and men eating steaks, is not healthy and should not be gender biased. Both genders need the right amount of all food categories to be healthy, men need their veggies and women need their meat. I agree more with what you say about this read than Orbach's but i understand your thoughts about both. I found these as interesting reads because of how truthful they are and how overlooked the subject is.
Fat has a different meaning in every culture and society. In the United States, where the basis of our social norms is the media, fat simply means not living up to our society's particular expectations that are portrayed in the media. In my opinion, a real man knows how to take care of his body and eat healthier, maybe seemingly less masculine foods. Fast food chains take advantage of man's desires to fit in the social norms of masculinity. Most guys will simply forget every aspect of health and personal hygiene to make himself seem manlier. The masculine eating matter is almost completely a cultural issue. You don’t see this problem taking place in many parts of the world other than the United States due to the reason that media, judgment, and appearance rule society. Social norms are not only present in the United States but they are thriving in such a judgmental society. Everyone, males and females, are striving to be what they see in the media. The obesity problem in the United States can also relate directly to the call for “masculinity”. The weight issues are pushed to the side to make way for sexual social norms, when it should in fact be the opposite. At the end the reading, Freeman shortly discusses beer commercials which I think take advantage of the strive for masculinity more than any fast food chain out there. Over the past ten years or so beer brands have really picked up on this market so they have been directly attacking the vulnerable men who want to appeal more masculine. Keep an eye out during the super bowl this weekend if you watch it, probably eighty percent of the commercials will be beer commercials because they know men will be watching this game either because they like the game, or they think they should to fit in as men. Thus those men trying to fit in would be more willing to purchase the “masculine” beer.
ReplyDelete